Italy have scored three tries in 10 minutes to give themselves some breathing room against a stubborn Namibia, before recording a 47-22 win in their pool opener in Osaka.
The Italians had dominated much of the play at Hanazono Stadium in Sunday's first half, with their forwards providing a stable base to attack and create space, but it was not until scrumhalf Tito Tebaldi scored on the stroke of halftime that they were able to pull away.
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Winger Edoardo Padovani and replacement Carlo Canna both crossed shortly after the break to put the game beyond doubt, as the Italians earned a bonus point from their seven tries.
Namibia, who have lost all 20 of their World Cup matches, still managed to give the crowd something to cheer about with tries to halfback Damian Stevens, and wingers JC Greyling and Chad Plato.
The result sees Italy to the top of New Zealand's Pool B and they'll have a chance to build on that early advantage, when they take on lowly ranked Canada on Thursday.
Reuters
